On 6 May last year, just before the first light of day, a robin sang the opening notes of the dawn chorus in John Millers Wiltshire garden at precisely 4.35am.
For the rest of that day, until a tawny owl passed over at 9.23pm, each bird is briefly brought to life with Johns observations and fascinating backstories: their nests, their eggs, their battles, their triumphs.
Sound recordist Alex Byng and photographer David White were with John throughout this red-letter day which anyone can replicate in their own garden, using the Merlin bird ID app to help identify bird songs and confirm sightings.
Part ONE 7
Dawn The Morning Fanfare 9
Part Two 58
Midday Siesta 59
How to Attract Birds to a Garden 62
More Birds Sing 68
Afternoon Tea 73
More Birds 74
Dusk Settling in for the Evening 85
More Birds 88
Night Hunters 95
Part Three 99
Round-up of the Day What did we find? 100
The No-shows 100
The Surprise Appearances 103
Tally of my Garden Birds 6 May 104
Part Four 106
My Garden Nesting Round-up 2025 107
Tally of my Garden Nests 2025 108
Siting Nest Boxes 112
New Nests vs Old Nests 113
Spotted Flycatchers and their Nests 117
Part Five 127
The Inconvenient Truths 128
Bottom-up Conservation 129
The Dangers of Apex Predator Introduction 129
Red-listed UK Birds 135
Inconvenient Truth No. 1
You Need a Chemical-free Garden 136
How to Mow for Wildlife 138
Organic Vegetable Growing 140
Inconvenient Truth No. 2
The Disturbance our Pets Cause 141
Inconvenient Truth No. 3
Predator Control 143
How it all Began for me Keeping Hens 147
PART SIX 154
Making the Garden Wildlife Friendly 155
Why Rewilding Cant Solve the Problem 157
Plant with a Purpose 158
Six Early Spring Insect-friendly Plants 159
Grow Your own Birdseed 165
The Power of a Compost Heap 170
Epilogue: Why I Wrote this Book 177
Index 190
John Miller is a passionate countryman, naturalist and lifelong observer of the British countryside. Raised in a small Oxfordshire village, he spent his childhood exploring the fields and woods, developing a deep, enduring connection with nature.
He serves on the boards of the Atlantic Salmon Trust and Curlew Action and is an advocate for the introduction of a GCSE in Natural History.
Through his books and essays (he is an ambassador of Conservation Communication) John encourages readers to reconnect with the natural world by observing, questioning, and cultivating curiosity.
Today he cultivates his wildlife-rich garden in Wiltshire and is a passionate flyfisher.
